This is a blog for chess fans by a chess fan. I enjoy winning as much as anyone else, and I've had a reasonable amount of success as a competitor, but what keeps me coming back to the game is its beauty. And that, primarily, is what this site will be about! All material copyrighted.

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

My Favorite Strategy!?

Sometimes non- and casual chess players will ask me: "What's your favorite strategy?" I've always heard this question as something like asking a philosopher to name her favorite law of logic; a question that makes sense to those whose exposure to the game is mostly limited to the Scholar's Mate but not to the SERIOUS [here one pulls his lapels] chess player. The problem is that only very cooperative opponents will allow "strategies" like the four-move checkmate to work, so we quickly learn to adapt - a process that will lead to our mastering hundreds, even thousands of mini-strategies, each applying to some positions but not to others.

But upon reflecting on a game I won a few days ago, one of countless blitz and bullet games won using essentially the same, cookbook-like approach, I've come to reconsider.

With steps 1-4 complete, all that's left is to devour all the light-squared goodies - bon appetit!

Of course, White can stop this plan from succeeding, though its relative sophistication makes it (much) more likely to be effective even against reasonably strong opponents. But okay, really: is my "4-step win" different in kind from the 4-move checkmate?

Your opponent has to cooperate a bit to let you employ a given strategy that you choose before the game, but perhaps the answer to the question is more about style. Ulf Andersson loved to whittle down to the endgame and beat you there. Petrosian loved middlegame maneuvers in closed positions. Tal liked crazy positions and sacrifices.

For friends who don't play chess I often describe it as being like tennis, where some players like to play from the baseline and others serve and volley. You have a preference, but need to be prepared for either depending on where the ball is going!

I have to disagree with christopher. I've seen some instructive 1 0 games. When good players play 1 0 its pure instinct and seeing their instincts can be educational. I do admit that most 1 0 games are garbage but they shouldnt be dismissed completely.

About Me

I'm a USCF master (current rating 2352) and a once and hopefully future senior master (peak rating 2434), but my time in chess these days is dedicated primarily to training juniors and others to achieve their own successes in our great game.
For fun, I also teach philosophy; for a challenge, I'm trying to complete my doctoral dissertation!